First graders learn to tell living things (that grow, need food and water, and make babies) from nonliving things — discovering the special signs that show something is alive.
Students will be able to…
A dog and a rock both sit on the ground — but only one is alive! How can we tell if something is a living thing or a nonliving thing?
Project this and sort each thing into living or nonliving. Ask: does it grow, eat, and make babies?
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
A dog and a rock both sit on the ground — but only one is alive! How can we tell?
Students investigate.
Students explain.
Students elaborate.
Students conclude.
Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (Grade 1 / Elementary Science).
Use materials to design a solution mimicking how plants and animals use parts to survive.
Make observations to construct evidence that young are like their parents.
Observe what plants and animals need to survive.
Analyzing and interpreting data.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have families take a walk and point out living and nonliving things, explaining how they can tell the difference. A printable living-things sheet is in the Science library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.